PP imports in Russia grew by 31% in January-May

May imports of homopolymer PP into Russia increased to 8,100 tonnes against 5,200 tonnes a month earlier, deliveries of homopolymer PP raffia from Turkmenistan increased. Total volume of imports of this type of polypropylene reached 29,000 tonnes in January-May 2018 against 21,000 tonnes a year earlier.

May imports of PP block copolymers was about 4,000 tonnes against 4,900 tonnes in April. Local companies reduced purchases of PP block copolymers for injection moulding and extrusion of pipes in Europe. During the period under review, PP block copolymers imports to Russia increased to 20,200 tonnes against 16,800 tonnes a year earlier.

Imports of PP random copolymers in May amounted to about 2,900 tonnes against 3,000 tonnes a month earlier. Russia's imports of PP random copolymers in the first five months of this year amounted to 13,600 tonnes against 10,900 tonnes a year earlier, the main increase in deliveries accounted for the pipe propylene copolymers.

Imports of other propylene polymers during the period under review amounted to about 17,100 tonnes against 12,300 tonnes a year earlier.


MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Wacker Polymers is raising its prices for vinyl-acetate-ethylene-based copolymer dispersions, dispersible polymer powders and solid resins of its VINNAPAS, VINNOL, ETONIS, VINNACEL and SMARGO brands worldwide, as per the company's press release.

Effective July 1, 2018, prices will be raised by up to ten percent, or as customer contracts allow. Rapidly rising raw-material costs, especially for acetic acid and vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) - two indispensable raw materials for the manufacturing of Wacker’s vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer dispersions, dispersible polymer powders and solid resins - are the reason for this measure.

The price adjustment enables Wacker Polymers’ continued security of supply, technological innovation and comprehensive technical, sales and customer support services.

Wacker’s dispersions and dispersible polymer powders are applied in a broad variety of industries, ranging from adhesives, construction, caulks, nonwovens, paints and coatings to paper, carpet and textiles.

As MRC wrote before, Wacker Chemie AG is expanding its existing production plants for dispersions and dispersible polymer powders in South Korea. The Group is building a new spray dryer for dispersible polymer powders at its Ulsan site, which will have a total capacity of 80,000 metric tons per year. The Munich-based chemicals company is also constructing an additional reactor for dispersions based on vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer (EVA), which are needed as the raw material for the spray dryer to produce dispersible polymer powders.

Wacker Chemie AG is a worldwide operating company in the chemical business, founded 1914. The company is controlled by the Wacker-family holding more than 50 percent of the shares. The corporation is operating more than 25 production sites in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The product range includes silicone rubbers, polymer products like ethylene vinyl acetate redispersible polymer powder, chemical materials, polysilicon and wafers for semiconductor industry.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SNC-Lavalin, a leading project management company, said it has signed an exclusive agreement with Florexx International Investments for the extended basic engineering and subsequent design and delivery of an advanced topping refinery in the UAE, as per TradeArabia.

A Dubai-based group, Florexx International Investments is an integrated bio, green, and renewable energy investment and development company. It has been established and created as a conglomerate platform for all its investments and development activities worldwide.

SNC-Lavalin said as per the deal it will carry out the initial basic engineering, masterplanning, process technology evaluation and selection to support project financial investment decision approvals, expected in the third quarter.

Once the project proceeds to the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) phase, the Canadian construction giant will carry out the complete design and delivery of the refinery, working alongside Emirati contractors to maximise in-country value.

Advanced topping refineries use distillation columns to separate crude oil into different petroleum products, including naphtha, diesel, kerosene and fuel, said the company in a statement.

The inside battery limits (ISBL) scope of the agreement between SNC-Lavalin and Florexx includes construction of a 100,000-barrels-per-day (bpd) capacity refinery complemented by non-process technical and non-technical buildings and support infrastructure.

On the contract win, Christian Brown, the president for oil and gas at SNC-Lavalin, said: "This project is an important addition to the work that we do in the UAE, further boosting our extensive capability in providing end-to-end solutions in the downstream oil and gas market."

"It is also contributing to the growth of our business in the region and our continued focus on adding value to all seven emirates," he added.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sarnia, Ont.-based ReVital Polymers Inc. is fighting back against what can only be called a fake news story about black post-consumer plastic, as per Canplastics.

Contrary to recent media reports published throughout the GTA, black post-consumer plastic can be recycled – and ReVital wants as much of the material as it can get.

ReVital describes itself as Canada’s first recycling plant that combines a Container Recovery Facility and a Plastics Recovery Facility under one roof. The process of transforming incoming mixed plastic bales into recycled plastic pellets takes less than 25 minutes to complete. ReVital plans to expand the range of materials it accepts from recycling programs next year. Clients in the household goods, construction and automotive sectors purchase ReVital’s recycled plastic pellets to make a range of new products.

"No one I know thinks it’s right to use a plastic product or package once and then send it to the landfill," said Keith Bechard, ReVital’s chief commercial officer. “In Ontario alone, about 1,405 tonnes of black plastics are generated annually. That would fill more than 70 transport trucks parked end-to-end stretching for 1.7 kilometers. That is a significant amount of valuable material and that’s why we invested in the technology to recover black plastics."

Bechard said recent Toronto media reports claiming that black plastic trays and containers are unrecyclable have caused great confusion for the public, not just in Ontario but across Canada. “The Toronto media reports were specific to that community’s recycling program and their recycling service provider,” he said. “The City and their service provider’s limitations are not reflective of the rest of the recycling industry in Ontario and Canada."

In fact, municipalities across the province of Ontario and beyond – including Ottawa, Kingston, Durham, and Windsor – have been shipping mixed plastics to ReVital’s 188,000-square-foot plastics recycling operation since it opened in February 2017.

Bechard said the market for black recycled plastics is strong. “In fact, we turn most of these high value materials into customized and highly engineered resins that are tailored to specific customer end-use applications,” he said. “This customized approach ensures ReVital improves recovery rates for end-of-life products and packaging, extends material value and utility, and allows our automotive and consumer household product customers to manufacture new products that incorporate recycled content."
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Jacobs and Expertise Contracting Company Limited have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to offer plant maintenance and turnaround solutions to key clients in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

With increased cost pressures on operators in the region, Jacobs’ and Expertise’s complementary capabilities provide alternate maintenance and turnaround execution models and innovative solutions to reduce costs and maximize facility up-time.

Expanding their complete engineering, EPCM, and PMC footprint in the region, Jacobs brings global best practices in maintenance, turnarounds, reliability, and asset management to the KSA, developed through more than 60 years of providing complete solutions to top-tier global clients.

"This partnership reflects our commitment to provide innovative end-to-end services to our clients in Saudi Arabia," said Jacobs Senior Vice President and General Manager David Zelinski. "With cultures aligned on safety and long-term customer satisfaction, Jacobs and Expertise are ready to lead existing and new clients in the transformation of maintenance and turnarounds delivery in the region."

Founded in 2004 and based in Al Jubail, Expertise Contracting is one of Saudi Arabia’s leading and fastest growing industrial support solutions providers. With 4,000 craft personnel and a state-of-the-art, 3,000-piece equipment fleet, Expertise delivers comprehensive maintenance, turnaround, and industrial solutions in Al Jubail and across the region.

"Our partnership with Jacobs aligns with our aspirations to serve the industry in a broader and more comprehensive way," said Expertise President Fares S. Al Shammari. "It transforms Jacobs and Expertise, combining global knowledge, experience and exemplary resources in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 to enrich local content and promote knowledge transfer."

Jacobs and Expertise will combine their experience across multiple industrial sectors including upstream and downstream oil and gas, petrochemicals, specialty chemicals, mining and minerals, power, water, aerospace and advanced infrastructure.

As MRC wrote before, in December 2017, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. was awarded a contract by Canada Kuwait Petrochemical Corporation (CKPC) to provide front-end engineering design (FEED) services for a proposed greenfield, integrated propane dehydrogenation and polypropylene facility located in Sturgeon County, Alberta, Canada.
MRC